Former NASA astronaut Lisa Nowak, accused of attacking a romantic rival, appeared in court Friday to request that a judge remove her electronic monitoring ankle bracelet.
The 44-year-old Navy pilot said the GPS monitoring device cuts her ankle and gets in the way of her military boot laces. She said she doesn't go to public places in fear something might trigger its alarm. The anklet also impedes her ability drive and to exercise, she said, a key requirement for her job.
The assistant district attorney pointed to other exercises Nowak could do and said the woman has been able to bathe despite the bracelet. She also scoffed at Nowak's complaint the device has been a pricey expense, costing her US$3,000 so far.
"You're paying a media consultant -- fire the consultant!" said Pamela Davis.
Nonetheless, if the court agrees to remove the bracelet, Nowak has promised to stay away from air force Capt. Colleen Shipman, the woman she is accused of pepper-spraying in a fight over a mutual love interest.
Shipman also appeared in court, testifying she feels a lot safer knowing Nowak is being monitored.
"When I'm home alone and there's nobody there with me, it is a comfort," she said of Nowak's monitoring bracelet.
She also said she has visited her boyfriend, who lives in Nowak's neighbourhood, since the arrest. She didn't say if this was the same man both women had feelings for.
Nowak, 44, has pleaded innocent to charges of attempted kidnapping, battery and burglary with assault. Her lawyer Donald Lykkebak said he planned on asking Circuit Court Judge Marc L. Lubet to throw out some of the evidence in the case, including statements Nowak made to police and items found during a search of her vehicle.
Lykkebak is expected to argue the police did not have a warrant to legally execute the search and did not advise his client of her constitutional rights, despite her asking if she should have a lawyer three times.
Nowak apparently told detectives she and Shipman were involved with the same space shuttle pilot and that she confronted her rival in a parking lot of the Orlando International Airport because she wanted to know "where she stands."
She is accused of pepper spraying Shipman and trying to jump into her car. Authorities say Nowak was in possession of a duffel bag with a steel mallet, a 10-cm knife and a BB gun.
Nowak was expected to make her first public statement after the hearing, her lawyer said.
With files from The Associated Press
